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My grandmother wouldn’t mind that I painted and then wrote all over her coffee table. She was one of the most giving people you’ve ever met. She truly was the type of person that would give you the shirt off her back if you needed it. I strive to live up to her legacy every day of my life.

She was also a very lucky lady. I mean lucky as in she could spot a four-leafed clover in a field of them. She was constantly finding money on the ground.

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When I was living with her my freshman year in college, she made me do a U-turn on a street because she saw a five dollar bill in the middle of the road! She was a hoot and loved to make people laugh with her jokes or just dressing up as a bunny every Easter.

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(That’s my sisters and me in the floral skirt.)

She also won several contests in her life. But, she rarely kept her winnings. One of the things she won was a solid construction coffee table. When I was moving into my first apartment, she gave it to me. We used it for years until my design tastes changed and I bought a new one. Grandma’s coffee table moved into our attic. It sat there for years, buried under bags and suitcases.

When the big tree fell on our house, we did some serious purging in the attic. I should have taken the coffee table to Goodwill or sold it at our yard sale. But, something made me keep it a little longer. Read more

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My plane had no sooner touched down at Raleigh/Durham airport than I started sneezing my head off. We were back in the pollen bomb (what I call the abundance of pollen accumulation this time of year.) Here are to Tips for Surviving Springtime Allergies.

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My oldest son has severe pollen allergies. This time of year is usually miserable for the poor guy. Over the years we’ve gotten better at managing his symptoms. Besides some preventative prescription allergy medications (that we start before the pollen hits), we’ve also used some simple non-prescription remedies. I’m hoping that some of these tips might help ease your springtime allergy suffering, too.

10 Tips to Surviving Springtime Allergies Read more

Sometimes there are no words and silence is golden.

From my Instagram feed Friday night. Click the photo if you wish to see the original and read my thoughts that night.

“By not talking too much about it. Silence is sometimes the best thing to do, holding a hand, hugging somebody.”
– Reverend Eugene Peterson, an except from this interview on Spiritual Strength in Times of Great Need

 

 

Bright and Bold Colorful Front Doors Social Media Image

Bright and Bold Colorful Front Doors Social Media Image33 Colorful Front Doors

I am drawn to homes that have unique front door colors. I crave something beyond the normal white, black or burgundy. Give me a unique color that tells me something about its occupants! I love being able to say, we’re the only house on the street with the purple doors. In my book, you need to Go Bold or Go Home! Get out that paintbrush and show your true colors. Here are 33 Bright & Bold Colorful Front Doors:

Colorful front doors

Our front door. Purple Honor 8906N by Duron

Cameron Park is one of my favorite neighborhoods in Raleigh. It is tucked between Oberlin & Hillsborough Street (two very busy roads). The houses are old and the trees are ancient. But, there seems to be an ongoing competition for the boldest and brightest front doors. I spent an hour just walking around the neighborhood snapping pictures of these louder than words portals.

I used a Sherwin Williams color deck to choose an approximate match for each door. If you are considering painting your door with any of these colors, be sure to paint a large sample on poster board and hold it up to your door first. Keep in mind, some of the colors may need two coats before you see the true color.

Colorful front doors

Colorful front doors

Chartreuse SW0073

 

Colorful front doors

Blue Peacock SW0064

 

Colorful front doors

Halfway between Danube SW6803 and Dignity SW6804

 

Colorful front doors

Slick Blue SW6949

 

Colorful front doors

Open Seas SW6500

 

Colorful front doors

Crabby Apple SW7592

 

Colorful front doors

Atmospheric SW6505

 

Colorful front doors

Aqua Tint SW6939

 

Colorful front doors

Indulgent SW6969

 

Colorful front doors

Bee SW6683

 

Colorful front doors

Swimming SW6764

 

Colorful front doors

Fabulous Grape SW6293

 

Colorful front doors

Cloudless SW6786

 

Colorful front doors

Lobelia SW6809

 

Colorful front doors

Honorable Blue SW6811

 

Colorful front doors

Copper Pot SW7709

 

Colorful front doors

Sapphire SW6963

 

Colorful front doors

Wild Currant SW7583

 

Colorful front doors

Ebbtide SW6493

 

Colorful front doors

Lantern Yellow SW6687

 

Colorful front doors

Nautilus SW6780

 

Colorful front doors

Lei Flower SW6613

And just in case you have a lust for the international palette, these are a few doors I spotted in the UK:

Colorful front doors

Frank Blue SW6987 – Obviously this door has a weathered look though.

 

Colorful front doors

Fine Wine SW6307

 

Colorful front doors

Blue Chip SW6959

 

Colorful front doors

Nifty Turquoise SW6941

 

Colorful front doors

Blue Blood SW6965

 

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Heart Throb SW6866

Talk about WOW factor! I found this green door online HERE.

Colorful front doors

Outrageous Green SW6922

And if that isn’t enough to catch your attention, look what Allison Cosmos did to this door:

The Front Door eclectic entry

This is my all time favorite front door photo from The Impatient Gardener. Could you tell that I’m drawn to blues?

Colorful front doors

Blue Chip SW6959

Back at the Pretty Handy Girl abode, my home’s doors were purple for over 7 years. I decided to add some vibrancy and paint the front doors an amazing green (Benjamin Moore Perennial Green). The front doors are beautiful now, but this project turned out to be the DIY project from HELL! If you ever need to strip paint off your front door, I have some tips and a tutorial for you.

Stunning Green Doors - Pretty Handy Girl green door

Friends don’t let friends have boring front doors. Be sure to pin this graphic to share these colorful inspiring doors with your friends!

Bright and Bold Colorful Front Doors

I hope you have been inspired! Now Go Bold or Go Home!

Speaking of painting, I have painted almost every room in our home now. Make that almost every room in two homes! You could say that over the years I’ve learned a few tricks of the trade. If you’re planning to paint, I recommend these favorite painting tools that I pull out for every painting job.

Colorful front doors

Oh happy day! My spirits are being lifted by the showy flowers that are blooming outside my window. This post is for those of you that are still suffering through this brutal winter. My thoughts are with you often, and I hope these colors help brighten your day and let you know that Spring is on its way.

So, grab a warm drink or blanket and sit back for a few minutes of buds, blossoms and blooms.


When there is so much colorful artistry outside, I couldn’t help bringing a few inside.

I wish you had smell-o-vision. Those little white flowers on the left are called Daphne, and they have the most fragrantly sweet lemon scent.

I’m going to try to root some Daphne shortly after the flowers fade. Apparently that is the best time to snip them, add some rooting hormone, and stick them in a pot. Wish me luck!

I found this decanter set at Goodwill last week and they are the perfect size to hold a few daffodils at our table.

Does anyone else’s child have Staff & Teacher appreciation week coming up? Ours is this week, and I found an economical solution for the multitude of gifts I needed for each teacher, office staff, bus driver, etc. I’ll be sharing that with you later this week!